Problem with Linksys EA6350 v4B dual partition reboots Linksys

Installing and Using OpenWrt
1

So I bought a new Linksys EA6350 V4B, just for the purpose of installing OpenWRT. I have read dozens of posts on how to flash OpenWrt on this device, and I am very aware of the "dual partition" feature.

However I follow strictly the guides, and after a few reboots, always finally reboots to Linksys !! This is the procedure I follow (you can skip to the most interesting part from point 9 over):

  1. Boot to Linksys, manual configuration

  2. Flash latest stock Linksys ROM.

  3. After the successful reboot (to Linksys obviously, without power cycle), I flash OpenWrt: openwrt-23.05.0.ramips....squashfs-factory.bin

  4. Router boots again to Linksys (!?)

  5. I repeat 3), so reflashing again OpenWrt

  6. Router boots again to Linksys (!?) so I repeat from point 2:

  7. Flash again latest stock Linksys ROM.

  8. After successful Linksys reboot, reflash OpenWrt

  9. Router boots to OpenWrt LUCI (great!)

  10. Using WinSCP I went to the folder /etc and edited etc/rc.local to add the files:
    /rom/sbin/mtd unlock s_env
    /rom/sbin/mtd erase s_env
    exit 0
    I did this by copying the existing file to my local computer, edited with text editor and recopied over original.

  11. Then power cycled the router, and booted correctly to OpenWrt.

  12. Again with WinSCP went to the file rc.local to check if it is still the modifyied version. Yes. OK.

  13. Rebooted router two or three more times to OpenWrt, but suddenly... Linksys AGAIN !!

I dont know what might be wrong. I am following all the indicated procedures. I repeated all this many times. I cannot undestand.

Is it any different the EA6350 v4 versus EA6350 v4B that I have ??
Should I consider flashing the two partitions with OpenWrt to overcome this problem ?

Any help on this problem will be much appreciated.
Thank you very much.

2

Try editing it with nano, vi or vim using SSH to the router.
Be very careful if you choose vi or vim.

Apparently; it is either a difference in hardware or the latest Linksys firmware because someone was having the same trouble with a V3 yesterday.

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3

Linksys' firmware page says to set the flash to default values after flashing with their firmware and before you reboot. Did you do that?

IOW:
Flash OEM
reboot
set linksys to default values.
flash to OpenWrt.

But this is all with V4. I cannot find V4b

4

This was the solution: editing rc_local with vi instead of an external text editor.
Very strange, don´t understand what might be the difference, but one thing I have noted: editing the file with vi does not change the file´s datetime. Editing with external text editor does.
Thank you!

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5

To be fair, your detailed, post is what helped the most.

90% of the time we get "I edited it" with zero context, only to find later they used a crayon.

Glad it worked!

6

Windows and UN*X use different approaches to encode line endings, mixing that up will cause issues on 'the other' operating system.

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